The Wire / HBO 2002-2008

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I did not have cable when it first ran 2002-2008 and watched it in 2012. I was quite frankly blown away. My wife did not watch then and we started on it a couple weeks back. It is just as good as I recalled and IMO sets the high-water mark for police procedurals.

The second point are the characters & actors portraying them. No one seems like a cut-out jammed in as a plot device. Everyone from major to minor character is well written & acted. If anything you feel like you are watching real life and people for better or worse.

In capsule, it's about a murder detective that discovers connections between his murder cases that may actually all be linked by drugs. Through some backdoor maneuvers an investigation is opened creating many enemies for him within the Baltimore police department. As the investigation grows, so does the scope with drug money reaching up & out of the street.

And then there is this, 5 seasons, 51 episodes, each at least 50 minutes, and some well in excess. Some seasons are better than others but all are good. Anyone asking what's worth watching I give this one highest recommendation. Its on HBO Now & Amazon Prime -


The_Wire_Cover.jpg
 
Amazing crew and storytelling in Charm city ... I like how each season had a specific focus - The shipyard, The schools, etc ... Hamsterdam!

Yay David Simon!! This made me appreciate "Homicide: Life on the Street" (a network show!!) even more ...
 
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The Wire is in my top 5 series of all time, and quite frankly as things come and go I feel confident it will stay in my top 5. The Wire is every thing a quality series should be from production to social relevance. One season dealt with the crack epidemic In Baltimore which is now playing out in Ohio with the Opioid epidemic. Tops in my book.
 
The Wire is in my top 5 series of all time, and quite frankly as things come and go I feel confident it will stay in my top 5. The Wire is every thing a quality series should be from production to social relevance. One season dealt with the crack epidemic In Baltimore which is now playing out in Ohio with the Opioid epidemic. Tops in my book.

We are closing out Season 3 tonight. Jack Lord called it a masterpiece, I could not agree more.

What's even more remarkable is that how stellar the 1st season was, now 15 years on. Wow.

Watching it again and I feel Breaking Bad being slowly pushed aside for the top slot in my head space.
 
Saw a few episodes when it ran originally, caught a bunch more when they re-ran it. I bought the set on DVD after that but haven't had a chance to binge through the whole series yet. For me it was done better than The Sopranos but both share the ability to pull you into the story in a way that's very rare for TV these days.

Interesting though, Lance Reddick (Cedric Daniels) and Jamie Hector (Marlo Stanfield) are both also key cast members in Bosch (first season anyway), which we started working through a couple weeks ago via Amazon Prime.

John
 
I caught on for Season 3 and still enjoy re-watching the DVDs. In its day, it was completely unique. I remember initial reviews suggested that The Wire was too slow, that there were too many characters, and that there did not seem to be a plot. Nowadays, multi-threaded, complex narratives with hooks that extend the story are almost the norm—but few match The Wire for depth of development and unexpected twists. The fourth season was panned by many but the entire series has become a favorite of nearly everyone, critics and viewers alike. I started watching because I lived in Baltimore and knew some of the settings. It is eerily accurate. As a literature lover, I enjoy the stories regardless. The entire series was extremely well done. The funny thing is that the actor who plays McNulty is Irish and nearly everyone knows that Idris Elba (Stringer Bell) is English. Their accents never come through except for the episode when McNulty had to pretend to be a john at an exclusive club.

And now a nice diversion for the fans: https://theringer.com/wheres-wallace-3eee3f835840
 
I caught on for Season 3 and still enjoy re-watching the DVDs. In its day, it was completely unique. I remember initial reviews suggested that The Wire was too slow, that there were too many characters, and that there did not seem to be a plot. Nowadays, multi-threaded, complex narratives with hooks that extend the story are almost the norm—but few match The Wire for depth of development and unexpected twists. The fourth season was panned by many but the entire series has become a favorite of nearly everyone, critics and viewers alike. I started watching because I lived in Baltimore and knew some of the settings. It is eerily accurate. As a literature lover, I enjoy the stories regardless. The entire series was extremely well done. The funny thing is that the actor who plays McNulty is Irish and nearly everyone knows that Idris Elba (Stringer Bell) is English. Their accents never come through except for the episode when McNulty had to pretend to be a john at an exclusive club.

And now a nice diversion for the fans: https://theringer.com/wheres-wallace-3eee3f835840

I thought the 4th season, along with 1 and 3, were the strongest.

5th and 2nd a bit weaker to me.
 
Saw a few episodes when it ran originally, caught a bunch more when they re-ran it. I bought the set on DVD after that but haven't had a chance to binge through the whole series yet. For me it was done better than The Sopranos but both share the ability to pull you into the story in a way that's very rare for TV these days.

Interesting though, Lance Reddick (Cedric Daniels) and Jamie Hector (Marlo Stanfield) are both also key cast members in Bosch (first season anyway), which we started working through a couple weeks ago via Amazon Prime.

John

Bosch is a treat, visually one of the best out there with an excellent story too. Never thought of Titus Welliver as much beyond supporting roles but he is great in Bosch. I like Reddick, he brings a lot to his roles but I hope he finds more to do than hardline police command. Very few actors convey gravitas (a term I rarely use) but he sure does. He is wasted as far as what (I think) he's capable of. Jamie Hector really surprised me in that I did not think I could get past his sociopath Marlo but J. Edgar is great and likable. When you finish, check out Goliath on Prime w/ Billy Bob Thornton. Another original and it was renewed for S2. I've not seen even 1 ep of Sopranos. My wife and I are going to tackle it later this summer.
 
I thought the 4th season, along with 1 and 3, were the strongest.

5th and 2nd a bit weaker to me.

I recalled S2 being weak compared to the rest. After rewatching it though I didn't find it weak at all. Different pacing but definitely not weak the 2nd time through.
 
I caught on for Season 3 and still enjoy re-watching the DVDs. In its day, it was completely unique. I remember initial reviews suggested that The Wire was too slow, that there were too many characters, and that there did not seem to be a plot. Nowadays, multi-threaded, complex narratives with hooks that extend the story are almost the norm—but few match The Wire for depth of development and unexpected twists. The fourth season was panned by many but the entire series has become a favorite of nearly everyone, critics and viewers alike. I started watching because I lived in Baltimore and knew some of the settings. It is eerily accurate. As a literature lover, I enjoy the stories regardless. The entire series was extremely well done. The funny thing is that the actor who plays McNulty is Irish and nearly everyone knows that Idris Elba (Stringer Bell) is English. Their accents never come through except for the episode when McNulty had to pretend to be a john at an exclusive club.

And now a nice diversion for the fans: https://theringer.com/wheres-wallace-3eee3f835840

I knew Elba & West from other series (Luther, The Hour) prior to watching The Wire. However, had I seen it first I would have never questioned that either were American. You bring up an interesting point on pacing. I recall coworkers being negative about how little the story progressed when the show ran. I'd guess this was ~2003 and only one being strongly pro about it. We did not have HBO then so I had little to say about it and it wasn't for several years after we got it that I actually dove in the first time. I liked it but it's this second time watching that I began to fully appreciate it. After my wife & I concluded the 1st season I turned to her and said "2002!". She's made several comments since about how good it is. You may be onto something as far as how people came to accept long story arcs. Although I can't even get through one now, Lost (2004) set the hook for arcs played out over years.
 
You guys have me interested in watching this now. I've seen the entire run of The Shield and enjoyed it tremendously. I put the Wire on BR on my Wish List on Amazon, seems right up my alley.
 
You guys have me interested in watching this now. I've seen the entire run of The Shield and enjoyed it tremendously. I put the Wire on BR on my Wish List on Amazon, seems right up my alley.
You will not be disappointed and Tom Waits as the opening theme sucks you right in. That is my only complaint is they went with a cover version of his song rather than pony up the Benjamin's after season 2.
 
You will not be disappointed and Tom Waits as the opening theme sucks you right in. That is my only complaint is they went with a cover version of his song rather than pony up the Benjamin's after season 2.

Season 1 was covered by The Blind Boys of Alabama, not Waits. Waits only did season 2.
 
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